Forest Linked With Brazilian Giant
The transfer window is officially open, and so the ‘fun’ begins – Forest are starting it by raising £20m in order to meet PSR rules before June 30th, and head into the next period with no punishments. Of course, links have been present en masse, with one concrete link made in Brazil, in the form of a new Goalkeeper.
What are the links made this week/previously?
As mentioned, links are pretty common with Forest after previous transfer dealings, with many simply being “agent talk”, essentially the act of an agent leaking possible interest from a club – in this instance Forest – in order to generate attention from within the club, generate a bidding war, etc.
The most credible links of this week though come with good reason for their moves – Forest need to improve in most positions, with a number of depth players leaving, loanees returning and being sold, alongside loanees to the club returning to their parent club ahead of next season.
Perhaps one of, if not the most-viewed & credible link is that of Corinthians Goalkeeper, Carlos Miguel. Standing at a monstrous 6ft 8in, the same height as Ex-Forest keeper, Costel Pantilimon, the Brazilian keeper has caught the eye of Forest fans following updates on a potential City Ground move, with one image of him standing next to Murillo being a major talking point – even Murillo’s strong stature looked like nothing compared to Miguel. With a release clause of €4m (£3.38m), Carlos Miguel is a top-target for Forest according to Brazilian Journalist Bruno Andrade, who this week revealed the official offer sent by Forest to Corinthians which showed Forest’s intent to pay the release clause in July, at the start of the new PSR period, and after the São Paulo derby. Forest need to raise approximately £20m before June 30th in order to avoid another PSR breach, but will look to sell several fringe players in order to make up the funds. Carlos Miguel will likely join the club in early July should all the technicalities be satisfied, and a medical take place successfully. A fantastic deal for the Brazilian, but sour taste left in the mouths of Corinthians fans who feel betrayed by their president – Augusto Pereira de Melo – who they [the fans] feel has undersold Miguel by a significant amount with the release clause.
Another link is that of Che Adams, the Southampton striker who last season contributed 16 goals in the Saints’ promotion campaign, but despite an incredible season, his contract expires on June 30th, leaving both Forest & Wolves scrambling to secure the Scotsman’s signature on a free transfer. Since the initial post from Transfer guru, Fabrizio Romano, on social media platform “X”, updates have been fee and far between. Local outlets have shared reports, but both with their own biases – the race for Adams’ signature is on, but who will be successful, only time will tell. On a free transfer, it could be shrewd business.
Forest are also looking at an ex-Olympiacos man in the summer transfer window which opened just days ago – a rare sight these days, typically the other way round. After having no appearances for the Europa Conference League champions, Etienne Youte Kinkoue joined French Second Division side, Le Havre, aiding them in their promotion efforts. Now in Ligue 1, and having shocked many in their return to the top division, Le Havre know that keeping hold of their stars – including Kinkoue – will prove difficult, with both West Ham and Nottingham Forest circling over him.
Finally, from likely the most credible source of transfer information, The Athletic’s David Ornstein, comes the news of a potential departure for Arsenal winger Reiss Nelson. Having spent 16 years at the London side, the winger has reportedly decided to pursue a new challenge, with Arsenal said to be interested in entertaining bids worth £20m. Fulham & Nottingham Forest are amongst the clubs interested, and with a dependence on Elanga & Hudson-Odoi being fully fit, a new winger could certainly be a good idea – but £20m is no small-fee. Of course the price comes with the promise of Premier League experience at a top-level, matched with you and potential – Nelson, I feel, would be successful in a side like Forest’s, but the financials of this deal would be a major hurdle for any potential transfer.
The main point of focus for Forest at the moment is certainly not signing players. While recruitment will be present for much of this summer, the priority until July 1st is the sale of some fringe players, lowering the wage bill, and more crucially raising funds to meet PSR requirements before that June 30th deadline. With this being said, the four mentioned targets are all in with a good chance of further interest, and a potential signing, but of course at this stage updates aren’t so frequent given the clubs aforementioned current priorities.
All mentioned options would be smart choices of transfers from Forest, and on average for a very decent price. More updates expected in the coming days & weeks.
*Article provided by Jamie Martin (Head Nottingham Forest Correspondent).
*Main image @Corinthians Carlos Miguel a transfer target for Forest.
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